25 Days of (Terra Nova) Christmas - Part 2
Unfortunately I've managed to hit the character limit on the previous post (grr).
So, without further ado...
Day 17 - Stockings (R)
"When you mentioned stockings, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind."
Alicia takes in Nathaniel's vaguely stunned expression with a mixture of amusement and mounting embarrassment. Every part of her wants to tug at the short skirt of her outfit (though really, something this short isn't even a belt, let alone a skirt), to hoist up the neckline of her top, and unhook the damn ribbons that are an irritating presence against the front and back of her thighs.
"It's ridiculous." She huffs, tugging weakly at the white fur lining her sleeve.
"What? No!" Nathaniel says, sitting up on the edge of the sofa, back straight and face honest. "Not at all." He smiles, and she can tell it's genuine.
"Nathaniel." She says. "I'm wearing practically nothing."
He holds his hands out wide and grins. "Not gonna hear me complaining."
"And what I am wearing is stupid." She continues, forgoing keeping the outfit complete and giving in to the desire to ease out of the heels that are pinching her feet.
"Let's go with festive." Nathaniel suggests, his generous tone ruined by the increasingly smug and hungry look on his face.
Alicia narrows her eyes at him, knowing she should be more irritated than she is... but to be so desired, even while looking so stupid, is really something for her - an (increasingly) old (scarred - physically and mentally) soldier like herself being wanted with such passion is more than she really deserves.
Free of the painful heels, she slinks over to him, enjoying the way he smirks and settles back into the sofa once more. She straddles him, seating herself on his thighs, and places her hands firmly on his chest to make sure he stays still.
"Thought I was supposed to sit on your knee." He offers.
She chuckles, leans in to kiss him quickly. "Have you been a very good boy this year?"
"Quite the opposite." He murmurs, stealing another kiss before she sits upright once more.
Alicia smiles as his hands curl around her sides, fingers playing over the red velvet there. She hums and rocks into him a couple of times. "No presents for you."
His palms smooth inward, up over her breasts and slowly start to undo the small brass buttons that start at her cleavage and go all the way down. The material falls away with each buttonhole's release to reveal exceedingly little underneath and Nathaniel hums happily as he leans forward to capture first one nipple, then the other, in a mouth made warm by hot drinks and pleasure.
"Got everything I need right here." He says against her skin, words that make Alicia smile broadly, her embarrassment falling away with the same ease as her clothing.
Day 18 - Cookies
It happens every Christmas, without fail. Alicia decides to try something new in the kitchen, just to push herself and indulge her softer side, baking a new confection that she hasn't previously attempted.
And every damn year, before she can savour the feeling of having accomplished something, half of her creation has disappeared into the mouths of her grinningly innocent Christmas elves.
So this year, she has a plan.
It involves a little subterfuge, some petty theft and careful planning, nothing she isn't used to and adept at. And when she finishes decorating a tray of Christmas cookies with Bethany at her side, sees the hunger and mischief in her daughter's eyes, she knows her plan will work.
Alicia makes sure that her family are going to be out of the house for a while before she sets up her trap. Tiny laser tripwires are placed in doorways to alert her to unwarranted movement, likewise she puts motion sensors on the refrigerator door so that once it's opened the terrible twosome will know they've been caught. She then wirelessly syncs everything up with their unit's lighting and entertainment system and programs it all accordingly.
And once she's done that, all she can do... is wait.
Alicia has always been adept at feigning sleep. It's served her well over the years, kept her from the pestering of concerned squadmates while in the field and unable to drop off for her mind whirling with horrible images. It saved her from Nathaniel's concern back when he slept alongside her under canvas and she wouldn't have been able to sleep for her body vibrating from awareness of his unavailable male form.
It serves her even better when her husband slips out of the bed just before midnight, silently moves to the door and looks back to check on her - because she actually manages to fool him. She has to fight the urge to smile at her success before he's left the room, waits for the closing of the door and the loss of his presence before she allows herself to feel pleased.
When the first tripwire in the hallway is triggered, her comm unit vibrates briefly as an alert (in case her faked sleep became all too real). The second lets her know they're crept into the living area, and the third tells her they're into the kitchen. Quietly, she eases out of bed and noiselessly walks through to watch from the hallway as Nathaniel grins at Bethany and yanks open the refrigerator door.
Then, all hell breaks loose.
The lights flood on at the same moment as the stereo starts blaring one of the many irritating Christmas songs that Alicia created a playlist of doom out of. Bethany screams, jumping at the sudden influx of noise and light. Nathaniel even looks a little startled for a split second before his instincts cut in and he starts to scope the room for the cause of the ruckus.
Alicia grins when he locates her, taps the screen of the control unit on the wall and sets the house back to normal.
"Busted." She says.
Bethany looks a little crestfallen, while Nathaniel's eyes vow delicious retribution. Alicia moves over to join them.
"Carry on." She says, with a wave of her hand - sees suspicious looks shot in her direction. "I think my point has been made."
"You know this means we'll have to be more cunning next year B?" Nathaniel grins, nudging their daughter's shoulder.
"Is that a challenge?" Alicia asks.
When Bethany shoots her father a conspiratorial look and then nods eagerly, Alicia realises a new tradition has been created.
But this one she can definitely get behind.
Day 19 - Santa
"Remind me again why I'm doing this."
"Because you volunteered." Alicia says, words slow because of her concentrating on fixing brass clips onto the waistband of the oversized red pants. "That generally means you end up having to do something."
Nathaniel is undeterred. "We've managed seven years without someone dressing up as Santa..."
"Yes and almost the minute it was suggested this year, you volunteered." He goes to speak, so Alicia presses a quick and distracting kiss to his lips. "I know it was only because Shannon was a second away from doing so. Doesn't mean you don't now have to go through with it."
"He doesn't even have a beard." Nathaniel says a little resentfully as Alicia moves around him to pull the heavy red jacket up over his arms.
"Quite." She says, and she's indulging him now. "Though since you're wearing a fake one, I don't think that's a deal breaker."
Nathaniel mutters something about people getting ideas above their station as Alicia fastens his buttons, a perfect reversal of his actions on her a couple of weeks ago.
"I liked this more the other way around." He grouses.
Alicia huffs. "At this rate I'm going to have to spray you with green paint, grinch."
#
"Now, remember." Alicia says, hooking the large fake beard over his head as they stand by the door. "No kissing me while you're Santa, be nice to the children, and at least pretend to be pleased if they give you a letter or a gift."
He frowns. "I think I know what I'm doing."
She grins, enjoying his bad mood. "Just checking."
His expression fades into a faint leer as he steps closer to her. "No kissing, huh?"
She shakes her head. "Nope. I refuse to explain that to any of the hundred and one curious children who might see it."
"In that case..." He says, lowering his head.
Alicia quickly tugs the beard up over his mouth. "Sorry, Santa. I'm married."
He says something but it's lost in the mass of white hastily pulled over his mouth.
"Yes, you should get going." She says with a solemn nod. "Don't want to keep the children waiting."
He scowls at her as she settles the beard properly over his chin and mouth. "You're going on the naughty list, Captain."
#
Alicia watches him later, set up on the specially decorated sleigh and can tell even from a distance that he is having an absolute ball. The children are beside themselves with excitement, and their parents look thrilled to see them having such a good time. And Nathaniel has always been fantastic with children, so he falls into the role with ease.
Her favourite moment of the entire afternoon is when Shannon brings Zoe over to see 'Santa' and looks about as resentful as it is possible to be in the time of goodwill to all men. If she hadn't realised before the genuine want of the sheriff to play the part, Alicia gets it now, especially when Nathaniel looks at him with triumph clear in a challenging blue gaze.
A chuckle to her side accompanies Elisabeth appearing and together they watch the battle of wills playing out to the obliviousness of the youngest Shannon.
"I think Jim might resent this for a while." The doctor says. "He can hold quite a grudge when his pride has been dented."
"Nathaniel didn't even want to do it." Alicia admits.
Elisabeth smiles. "You can't tell."
"No, I know. I was thinking he was protesting too much."
They watch in silence for a little while longer, before Jim and Zoe join them.
Zoe sidles close to Alicia. "Captain Wash." She whispers, and Alicia crouches to allow the girl to share her secret. "I think Santa is Commander Taylor."
Alicia smiles, puts an arm around the young girl's waist. "Has anyone ever told you how clever you are?"
Zoe nods happily, making her parents laugh. "Am I right?"
"You are, Miss Shannon. Will you keep it secret for the younger children?" Alicia asks.
"I will, Captain Wash." She says with genuine seriousness.
Alicia smiles. "Good girl. Thank you for protecting Christmas."
The Shannons melt back into the crowd with promises to meet later at the adults' Christmas gathering and Alicia smiles to herself when she hears Zoe proudly chattering about her achievement.
When she looks back to the sleigh she finds it empty, her husband nowhere to be seen. With the families dispersing, Alicia decides to get a head start on clearing up and heads off to move the wooden structure back to the garage.
(To be continued and preceded... in various forms.... over the coming days....)
Day 20 - Sled
For the older members of the colony, the return to natural decoration after years of commercialisation and bleak, dank metallic cities is something of a godsend. At Christmas, they learn to use their new resources to create scenes akin to those of olden days, with wreaths and boughs and garlands.
Their best approximation of holly comes in the form of a bush that has small, three pointed leaf formations, with purple berries. Unfortunately, the plant also has one razor sharp central protrusion that has to be removed before it can be used as decoration.
Much to their obvious joy, the security forces are often tasked with helping install the more elaborate decorations, and this year is no different. Someone, somewhere, decided to make their year-long project the construction of an oversized sled, a sort of sleigh, for use by the person lucky enough to play Santa. It was decided to decorate this also, and Alicia decides to 'supervise' the task and set her best people to the task (she thinks they're grateful for the escape from drills until they remember the holly and the risk of nipped fingers).
She's watching from the balcony as the little team works, their public position a blessing and a curse - it gets them better known to the population at large, but also gives them a critical audience.
Alicia notices that Mark is having a difficult time concentrating, notes the presence of his fiancée volunteering on one of the stalls as the likely cause. He pays for it pretty quickly though, when his hand slips and he catches his finger on one of the sharp leaves.
He hisses, pulling his hand back and shaking it. "Shi-." He starts, put the word dies on his lips when he remembers the children around him. Instead he swallows down the curse, smiles tightly at his laughing colleagues and examines the cut carefully.
"You okay Reynolds?" Alicia calls, unable to help herself. "Need Maddy to kiss it better?"
He scowls, and in her good mood Alicia allows it, especially when the girl in question looks up at the sound of her name. Seeing the red on her mate's finger she rushes over to cluck fretfully at him, and the embarrassment from that alone is more than enough punishment.
They manage to get on quite well after that, and Alicia moves down to the stairs once her people start sharing looks of satisfaction.
"Looks good, guys." She says, running her hand along the back of the sled.
She's about to dismiss them when she hears Nathaniel's laugh from somewhere behind her and turns to seek him out, having been deprived of his presence for most of the day since he got back from an overnight fishing trip with Shannon. She's not paying attention to her hand though and she manages to catch the one damn piece of holly that the troops missed.
She hisses, pulling her hand away quickly - hoping to hide it, but knowing better than that.
"Everything okay ma'am?" Comes Reynolds' voice, and though he's a damn fine soldier, even he can't keep the hint of smugness from his tone.
"Fine, Mark." Alicia says coolly. "You and Riley move this back to the garage." She commands.
Alicia sees the young woman shoot Mark an unimpressed look before she turns and rushes up the stairs of Command, heading to her husband.
When she enters the office she finds Nathaniel already at his desk. His eyes flick down to the blood on her finger and then back up at her face, concerned, but taking his cue from her relatively calm, if irritated, reaction.
"You okay?"
She sighs, kicks the door closed. "I'm fine. Just cut myself on the holly."
"I see." He says, his tone knowing, as he stands and slowly makes his way over to her. "Like you were mocking Reynolds for?"
She shifts, not realising he'd been around to see that. "Maybe."
He chuckles, reaching for her hand and examining the wound. "Need me to kiss it better?"
It's strange, having her earlier words thrown back at her, because just the thought of it makes heat pool in her belly in a way she hadn't considered when teasing Mark. She nods mutely and Nathaniel lifts her hand to his mouth gently.
She watches, entranced, as the tip of her index finger disappears into his mouth, feels her jaw go a little slack as he applies first a light suction and then, on seeing her reaction, sucks harder. She moans, fighting to keep her eyes open as pleasure and pain flood her body, feels the rumble of his chuckle vibrate through her.
"I missed you." She breathes, unable to stop the admission.
He grins around her finger, releases it carefully. "Got anywhere to be?"
She smiles. "Not right now."
"Good." He says, suddenly the best kind of serious. "Lock the door."
Day 21 - Snowman
Alicia is climbing the stairs of Command when she hears Elisabeth laugh, finds her mouth curving in response to her friend's amusement. Nathaniel's laughter quickly follows and Alicia locates them on the balcony, looking out on the falling snow and playing children.
"What's so funny?" She asks as she approaches them.
"The Commander and I were imagining you and Jim trying to build a snowman together." Elisabeth admits.
"That's... funny?" Alicia asks, puzzled.
"The fact that you wouldn't get anywhere because of arguing might have been why we were laughing." The woman continues.
Alicia raises her eyebrows, looks beyond the smaller woman to find her husband's innocent face. "Oh really?"
"Oh really what?" The three turn to find Jim approaching from behind Alicia, and the captain smiles wickedly at him, making him pause. "What have I walked in on this time?"
"Your wife and my husband don't think we could build a snowman together."
"Oh really??" Jim says now, standing beside Alicia to present a united front. "Is that so?"
"Sounds like a challenge to me, Shannon."
Elisabeth grins and looks to Nathaniel. "What do you say, sir?"
He nods. "Challenge accepted."
#
Word gets out about the competition far quicker than any of them could have anticipated. But Nathaniel finds it amusing at least, and Alicia isn't one to back out of a challenge, so they decide to wait for a day with good snowfall before proceeding in a far more public setting than initially planned.
That day eventually comes, and it finds Alicia and Jim standing on the balcony of Command dressed in their heavy winter clothes.
"This got a lot bigger than I was expecting." Alicia says quietly, surveying the crowd gathering underneath them.
"You know, that's what Liz said to me when we first-." Jim stops in the face of Alicia's glare. "You don't even know what I was going to say." He grins, holding his hands up.
"Oh I know well enough."
The sound of laughter drew the pair's attention to the door of the office.
"Fighting already?" Nathaniel asks smugly, Elisabeth at his side.
If anything is going to make Alicia want to win beyond the sheer beauty of success, her husband's conviction that he and Elisabeth have already won is certainly the right kind of impetus.
With a final challenging look shared between the two pairs, they walk down to take up their positions in the specially-cleared marketplace. Malcolm is their referee, and he explains the rules to the assembled crowd while the four of them start to plan. When he blows his whistle they spur into action, to the noisy cheers of the colonists.
Their methods for forming the body and the head (to a certain size previously agreed on) take on very different forms, with Alicia and Jim working independently as Nathaniel and Elisabeth team up. The lead switches multiple times but it's a far closer contest than the more sensible duo had expected.
They finish with the buttons, the eyes and the four mouth stones at exactly the same moment and all four look around desperately for the single carrot that should have been between their piles of accessories, the thing that will finish the contest.
It's nowhere to be seen.
Alicia glances around for a hint of orange in the snow, frowns when she can't see it. Then, Jim tugs on her sleeve and points over to where Maddy has Bethany balanced on her hip, both watching with wide grins.
Her daughter is holding the carrot.
"Bethie, honey, come over here?" She asks, crouching as Maddy sets the toddler on her feet.
Bethany starts over without hesitation, but stops when she sees her father crouching down too.
"Hey pumpkin. Bring daddy the carrot?"
Elisabeth and Jim share a look of amusement, silly war forgotten, as they enjoy the battle between husband and wife over their daughter's affection. For a moment it looks like Nathaniel will win, Bethany edging closer to him with every step, but then the young girl looks over to her mother and with a wide grin and a laugh toddles over to Alicia through the snow.
"That's my girl." The captain grins, taking the carrot and placing it in the centre of the snowman's face. "Helping mommy win."
A great cheer goes up at the victory (and a little money surreptitiously changes hands) as the crowd mostly fades away, out of the chill of the afternoon.
"Good girl, Beth." Jim says, catching her chin briefly. "Knows a winning combination when she sees it."
The little girl giggles happily, letting out a squeal when her father pounces from behind, pulling her into his embrace. He buries his head under her chin and blows noisy raspberries on her chest until she is nearly insensible with laughter.
"You're lucky you're cute." He says to her, sounding far less put-out than Alicia was expecting.
"Celebratory mulled wine?" Jim offers, pointing towards their unit.
Alicia grins. "Now that's a plan."
Day 22 - Jingle Bells (NC-17)
Alicia stands in the garage, looking at the decorated sleigh with a slightly melancholy eye. The colony celebrations are over for another year, with just the private merriment of Christmas day to come. It's the one time of the year, especially now, that everyone can be guaranteed to come together and just enjoy themselves, with no obligations. She enjoys that, however much her stoic side wishes to claim otherwise.
There are footsteps behind her and she looks over her shoulder to see Nathaniel approaching, back in the usual dark colours of his uniform.
"You changed." She says, voice full of faux sadness.
He laughs, settles himself behind her and wraps his arms around her waist. "Didn't know you had a thing for Santa, Wash."
"It's the beard." She murmurs, turning her head to steal a quick kiss.
He breaks away from her before she can deepen it, lips curling in a smirk. "Think I remember Santa putting you on the naughty list."
Alicia groans when his hands start to move, one moving down her stomach to cup her through her pants, the other sliding up to curl over the rise of one breast. "Well sir..." She breathes, arching into his touch. "I'll just have to make up for that."
He lets her turn in his arms because it gives him a chance to start removing her clothing, hands busy at her belt as she starts to run kisses over his neck and jaw. His hand slips inside the confines of her clothing and she bucks into his touch, nipping at his skin.
She looks over his shoulder to the slightly open door and grins, walking backwards towards the sled. "Just the pants." She whispers and he nods, knowing what her warning means.
His finger circling her clit makes it increasingly difficult for Alicia to remain coherent, so she steps away and holds him in place with firm hands against his shoulders. She shoots him a challenging grin and he pouts, stopping his fight.
She hums happily when he becomes more placid, returning his favour in loosening the belt of his fatigues and lowering the zipper. She resists the urge to let her hand slip inside and feel his heated skin, instead turning their positions so that his back is to the rear of the sled.
Alicia tugs the material of his pants down his legs, eases his underwear over the bulge of his erection and presses a quick kiss to its tip before standing. She then pushes him down into the sleigh's bench seat, the force of the movement making the bells at each end jingle merrily.
"Gonna have to take it slow sir." She purrs, easing off her boots and pushing her fatigues to the ground. She smiles as she settles down over his lap. "Don't want to let everyone know we're here."
She lowers down over him and the pleasure of having him inside her makes her head fall back, her mouth open in a silent gasp. One of his hands comes around her to press against her back and take some of her weight, the other braced against the sled. Alicia clutches at his shoulder while her free hand rests firm on his thigh, allowing her freedom to rock against him slowly, easily, working them into a rhythm that guarantees a slow burn and a release worthy of being stifled in each other's skin or by each other's mouths.
When she clenches around him it's instinct for him to thrust up into her heat, but the sharp movement makes the bells tinkle enough that Alicia stills completely.
"Shhh." She whispers, lowering back down with even less haste than previously.
"You're killing me here, woman."
Wash just hums happily, rolling her hips a little faster once she works out a rhythm that won't rattle the bells.
"You and your fetish for public places." He grumbles fondly.
She groans at the reminder of previous, secret and explosive times, bucks into him when he smirks and lowers his head to nip at her breasts, sucking at the peaks of her nipples as they strain against the material covering her chest.
She just feels the first pulse of her release when Nathaniel surprises her, thrusting up once more and grabbing hold of her hips before flipping them so that she lies lengthways along the bench seat. He braces himself on the back of the sled and on the wood above her head and starts to thrust into her with a painfully slow, teasing pace.
"Nathaniel..." She breathes, bringing her hands up to knead her own breasts as she fights to regain the release that he denied.
"Naughty list, Wash, we've been over this."
She arches as he hits the sweet spot inside of her, manages not to shake with pleasure even as her legs tighten around his hips. "Son of a-."
"Sssh." He says mockingly, starting to lose his even rhythm.
She cries out softly as the ache returns to her belly, coiling into something more defined with each roll of Nathaniel's hips. It only takes a couple more thrusts before she breaks, biting down on the heel of her hand so that only a whine escapes. Nathaniel follows quickly, gritting his teeth as release rushes through his body and his grip falters. Alicia brings her palms up to brace against his stomach to make sure they don't fall to the floor with a thump and a tinkle of bells.
He grins down at her with a thoroughly sated expression and she smiles in return as she sits up and kisses him sweetly.
"Let's get out of here before we're missed." She mumbles against his lips.
"Always with the romance." He teases. "No afterglow basking with you."
"Basking later." She says, standing up and pulling on her pants. "Not on a percussion instrument."
Day 23 - Carols
Jim is supposed to be watching the childrens' carol performance, the first organised by his daughter in her position as teacher at the school. It should be a moment of extreme pride for him. He knows this. But instead he finds it far more entertaining to watch the colony's lieutenant. She's standing at the back of the the crowd, leaning against one of the uprights of Command. Holding a mug of what he knows to be alcoholic cider, she's periodically looking between the mothers and the stage. She frowns to herself and sips at her drink thoughtfully.
He moves over to her and nudges her shoulder gently. "What's up?" He asks quietly, mindful of their closeness to women who he knows to have particularly good glares.
She shrugs with what he thinks is supposed to be an air of nonchalance but which misses the mark somewhat. "I should be in floods of tears shouldn't I?"
Jim scoffs. "Why?"
She gestures to the assembled audience with her mug. "Because all the other mothers are."
"Yeah, and you're such a typical mother, Wash."
She grins wryly at his comment. "I'm actually more impressed than anything. My daughter is acting her ass off pretending to be this innocent little creature..." Jim snorts and she shoots him a smile. "You know it's true. Anyway. I'm not supposed to be impressed by her acting, I'm supposed to find this whole... thing... charming aren't I?"
"You could do." He offers.
"But I don't." She says. "I'm bored."
He sighs, lowers his voice even further. "Look. Don't tell Liz but... I understand completely." He admits. "I was the same with my three. Hated it. Used to pretend I had cases so I wouldn't have to go."
She chuckles. "I should have thought of that."
"There's always next year."
She groans, sipping her drink again. "Next year. "
"And every year afterwards." He reminds her.
Wash shakes her head. "You think Beth will have that kind of patience?"
"Are you kidding? Bethany Taylor? Patience is her middle name." He grins when that makes her laugh, looks around for the young girl's proud father. "Where's Taylor?"
"OTG." She replies. "Had to make a supply run to Outpost One at the last moment."
Jim raises a disbelieving eyebrow. "Couldn't some of the kids have done that?"
Wash is silent for an alarmingly long time, her face showing confusion, then realisation and then, terrifying anger. "That bastard."
Jim feels a strange need to stick up for the man, holds a hand up to still her rage. "Hey, I'm sure it was just a mistake. He... forgot?"
"Right. He forgot." Alicia says. "Forgot about his little girl's first carol performance."
Jim winces. "Maybe?"
"I'm going to kill him." She says, and in that moment Jim believes her.
"I'm sure Bethany won't mind."
"It's not Bethany he has to worry about." Alicia says, pressing her empty cup into his hand and turning to head up the steps of Command. "He left me to deal with this alone knowing how much I was going to hate it."
Jim watches her go, blows out a breath of relief that she's not mad at him for once. "You're on your own there sir." He mutters, settling back against Wash's former position to watch the rest of the show.
Day 24 - Chestnuts
Alicia looks around her living room and once again marvels to herself at the domesticity of the sight that's presented to her.
In front of a roaring fire, Elisabeth sits on the floor with Bethany in her lap, reading The Night Before Christmas to the little girl displaying rapt attention. The doctor adores Alicia's daughter, is using her (the soldier suspects) as a proxy grandchild until Mark and Maddy get their act together.
There's a bang at the front door and Alicia turns to find her husband and Jim come barrelling through, noses red and smiles wide as they hold armfuls of logs for the fire. Jim kicks the door shut and Nathaniel drops a kiss on her cheek when he passes - the sheriff then does the same and grins when Alicia allows it.
They dump the logs in the basket by the burner and Alicia moves to join them, perching on the edge of the sofa to watch. Nathaniel pulls a pan off of the shelf above the log burner and grins when he spies its contents.
He passes a chestnut to Jim and one to Elisabeth when she asks, pouting a little when Alicia shakes her head in a polite refusal. (She's never liked them, can't understand why he does, but won't stop him from enjoying the tradition.) He pulls the skin open and eats the flesh of the nut happily, noticing Bethany's eyes on him as he does so.
He offers her one and she hesitates, looking curiously between the assembled adults - she hadn't missed her mother's refusal, the little girl too quick for that. Nathaniel carefully pulls a little of the next chestnut out of its skin and balances it on his finger, holding it out to his daughter. Slowly, she leans forward and snags it with her teeth, chewing thoughtfully for several moments.
Then she rigorously shakes her head, sticking her tongue in disgust.
Alicia laughs at Nathaniel's betrayed look, scoops her daughter up and takes her unwilling form through to get ready for bed, to leave the chestnut aficionados to enjoy their treat.
When Bethany is settled under the covers, Alicia perches on the side of the bed, stroking her curls gently. "Did you really not like the chestnut?"
Bethany is a clever little thing, but she can't quite hide when she's lying yet. "It was okay..." She says reluctantly.
"You're allowed to like them you know." Alicia smiles. "Even if I don't. I won't feel left out."
Bethany regards her with a seriousness that is quite adorable. "Maybe I can try another one tomorrow?"
Alicia nods, kissing her forehead and then tweaking her nose. "I'm sure your Daddy won't mind saving one for you."
When she returns to the living area, Alicia collapses down next to her husband with a chuckle. "You'll have to do more of those tomorrow. Bethany was lying so I wouldn't have to feel left out."
"So considerate." Elisabeth smiles. "She's a good girl."
"Yeah..." Jim agrees. "Where the hell did she get that from?"
The two cushions impact either side of his head with perfect synchronisation.
Day 25 - Christmas Movies
Long ago, back when their life was a relatively simple affair (thought she freely admits it did not seem so at the time), Alicia spent a few Christmasses in the Taylor household. One of her abiding memories is snuggling down under the blankets on Christmas Eve night, and watching something cheesy and festive until the three of them fell asleep, or got restless for more... pleasurable experiences.
(The memory of her Commander's head between her legs while an old time star sang of falling snow and presents is one she thinks she will never shake.)
They've been in the colony long enough now without revisiting those old traditions that Alicia thinks now is the time, this year is when they finally will, and she sets about planning accordingly.
Shannon catches her on her way to the Eye on Christmas Eve with an armful of blankets and nearly says something, before her warning glare sees him on his way. She lets herself into the underground area and starts her first setting up, placing pillows around the edge of the chair and blankets over the seat itself, ready for them to curl up in.
Later, when Nathaniel is on the other side of the colony and won't notice her rifling through their cupboards, she packs up a picnic basket and heads to Boylan's to purchase a bottle of mulled cider to keep safe in a bottle heater.
Finally satisfied with her work, Alicia heads out of the Eye and up to Command to fetch her husband, finding him all too willing to leave with her, even when he just thinks they're going home. His face is suspicious when she leads him in the opposite direction, downright confused when they head towards the Eye, but once he steps inside the room and finds her work, he's all smiles and gratitude and everything Alicia was hoping for.
She directs him to make himself comfortable in the seat and then settles between his legs, back firmly to his chest. His arms come around her and she takes a moment to just savour his touch and his instant relaxation, his trust in her motives even if he has no idea what she's actually planned.
Once he lets her go a little she pours them both a mug of the hot drink and fetches some snacks to balance on her lap, before commanding the computer to bring up all of the possible films they could watch together.
"You did all this?" He asks, his voice warm and low in her ear.
"I missed it." She says quietly, resting her temple against his. "I wanted to make this a tradition again, like we did with Ayani."
"It's a good plan, Wash." He says, holding her tight. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." She smiles. "Now, make your choice. And make it a good one. I'm so comfortable here I might fall asleep if it's not interesting enough."
"That doesn't sound half bad either." He murmurs, kissing her cheek.
None the less he makes his selection and they settle back to watch as the opening credits show large on the screen in front of them.
Snuggling into the warmth of him, Alicia sighs contentedly. "I love you, Nathaniel."
"Love you too." He replies, and it is the last words both speak for quite some time.
(MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE. Have brilliant days, whether you celebrate or not.)
Days:
So, without further ado...
Day 17 - Stockings (R)
"When you mentioned stockings, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind."
Alicia takes in Nathaniel's vaguely stunned expression with a mixture of amusement and mounting embarrassment. Every part of her wants to tug at the short skirt of her outfit (though really, something this short isn't even a belt, let alone a skirt), to hoist up the neckline of her top, and unhook the damn ribbons that are an irritating presence against the front and back of her thighs.
"It's ridiculous." She huffs, tugging weakly at the white fur lining her sleeve.
"What? No!" Nathaniel says, sitting up on the edge of the sofa, back straight and face honest. "Not at all." He smiles, and she can tell it's genuine.
"Nathaniel." She says. "I'm wearing practically nothing."
He holds his hands out wide and grins. "Not gonna hear me complaining."
"And what I am wearing is stupid." She continues, forgoing keeping the outfit complete and giving in to the desire to ease out of the heels that are pinching her feet.
"Let's go with festive." Nathaniel suggests, his generous tone ruined by the increasingly smug and hungry look on his face.
Alicia narrows her eyes at him, knowing she should be more irritated than she is... but to be so desired, even while looking so stupid, is really something for her - an (increasingly) old (scarred - physically and mentally) soldier like herself being wanted with such passion is more than she really deserves.
Free of the painful heels, she slinks over to him, enjoying the way he smirks and settles back into the sofa once more. She straddles him, seating herself on his thighs, and places her hands firmly on his chest to make sure he stays still.
"Thought I was supposed to sit on your knee." He offers.
She chuckles, leans in to kiss him quickly. "Have you been a very good boy this year?"
"Quite the opposite." He murmurs, stealing another kiss before she sits upright once more.
Alicia smiles as his hands curl around her sides, fingers playing over the red velvet there. She hums and rocks into him a couple of times. "No presents for you."
His palms smooth inward, up over her breasts and slowly start to undo the small brass buttons that start at her cleavage and go all the way down. The material falls away with each buttonhole's release to reveal exceedingly little underneath and Nathaniel hums happily as he leans forward to capture first one nipple, then the other, in a mouth made warm by hot drinks and pleasure.
"Got everything I need right here." He says against her skin, words that make Alicia smile broadly, her embarrassment falling away with the same ease as her clothing.
Day 18 - Cookies
It happens every Christmas, without fail. Alicia decides to try something new in the kitchen, just to push herself and indulge her softer side, baking a new confection that she hasn't previously attempted.
And every damn year, before she can savour the feeling of having accomplished something, half of her creation has disappeared into the mouths of her grinningly innocent Christmas elves.
So this year, she has a plan.
It involves a little subterfuge, some petty theft and careful planning, nothing she isn't used to and adept at. And when she finishes decorating a tray of Christmas cookies with Bethany at her side, sees the hunger and mischief in her daughter's eyes, she knows her plan will work.
Alicia makes sure that her family are going to be out of the house for a while before she sets up her trap. Tiny laser tripwires are placed in doorways to alert her to unwarranted movement, likewise she puts motion sensors on the refrigerator door so that once it's opened the terrible twosome will know they've been caught. She then wirelessly syncs everything up with their unit's lighting and entertainment system and programs it all accordingly.
And once she's done that, all she can do... is wait.
Alicia has always been adept at feigning sleep. It's served her well over the years, kept her from the pestering of concerned squadmates while in the field and unable to drop off for her mind whirling with horrible images. It saved her from Nathaniel's concern back when he slept alongside her under canvas and she wouldn't have been able to sleep for her body vibrating from awareness of his unavailable male form.
It serves her even better when her husband slips out of the bed just before midnight, silently moves to the door and looks back to check on her - because she actually manages to fool him. She has to fight the urge to smile at her success before he's left the room, waits for the closing of the door and the loss of his presence before she allows herself to feel pleased.
When the first tripwire in the hallway is triggered, her comm unit vibrates briefly as an alert (in case her faked sleep became all too real). The second lets her know they're crept into the living area, and the third tells her they're into the kitchen. Quietly, she eases out of bed and noiselessly walks through to watch from the hallway as Nathaniel grins at Bethany and yanks open the refrigerator door.
Then, all hell breaks loose.
The lights flood on at the same moment as the stereo starts blaring one of the many irritating Christmas songs that Alicia created a playlist of doom out of. Bethany screams, jumping at the sudden influx of noise and light. Nathaniel even looks a little startled for a split second before his instincts cut in and he starts to scope the room for the cause of the ruckus.
Alicia grins when he locates her, taps the screen of the control unit on the wall and sets the house back to normal.
"Busted." She says.
Bethany looks a little crestfallen, while Nathaniel's eyes vow delicious retribution. Alicia moves over to join them.
"Carry on." She says, with a wave of her hand - sees suspicious looks shot in her direction. "I think my point has been made."
"You know this means we'll have to be more cunning next year B?" Nathaniel grins, nudging their daughter's shoulder.
"Is that a challenge?" Alicia asks.
When Bethany shoots her father a conspiratorial look and then nods eagerly, Alicia realises a new tradition has been created.
But this one she can definitely get behind.
Day 19 - Santa
"Remind me again why I'm doing this."
"Because you volunteered." Alicia says, words slow because of her concentrating on fixing brass clips onto the waistband of the oversized red pants. "That generally means you end up having to do something."
Nathaniel is undeterred. "We've managed seven years without someone dressing up as Santa..."
"Yes and almost the minute it was suggested this year, you volunteered." He goes to speak, so Alicia presses a quick and distracting kiss to his lips. "I know it was only because Shannon was a second away from doing so. Doesn't mean you don't now have to go through with it."
"He doesn't even have a beard." Nathaniel says a little resentfully as Alicia moves around him to pull the heavy red jacket up over his arms.
"Quite." She says, and she's indulging him now. "Though since you're wearing a fake one, I don't think that's a deal breaker."
Nathaniel mutters something about people getting ideas above their station as Alicia fastens his buttons, a perfect reversal of his actions on her a couple of weeks ago.
"I liked this more the other way around." He grouses.
Alicia huffs. "At this rate I'm going to have to spray you with green paint, grinch."
#
"Now, remember." Alicia says, hooking the large fake beard over his head as they stand by the door. "No kissing me while you're Santa, be nice to the children, and at least pretend to be pleased if they give you a letter or a gift."
He frowns. "I think I know what I'm doing."
She grins, enjoying his bad mood. "Just checking."
His expression fades into a faint leer as he steps closer to her. "No kissing, huh?"
She shakes her head. "Nope. I refuse to explain that to any of the hundred and one curious children who might see it."
"In that case..." He says, lowering his head.
Alicia quickly tugs the beard up over his mouth. "Sorry, Santa. I'm married."
He says something but it's lost in the mass of white hastily pulled over his mouth.
"Yes, you should get going." She says with a solemn nod. "Don't want to keep the children waiting."
He scowls at her as she settles the beard properly over his chin and mouth. "You're going on the naughty list, Captain."
#
Alicia watches him later, set up on the specially decorated sleigh and can tell even from a distance that he is having an absolute ball. The children are beside themselves with excitement, and their parents look thrilled to see them having such a good time. And Nathaniel has always been fantastic with children, so he falls into the role with ease.
Her favourite moment of the entire afternoon is when Shannon brings Zoe over to see 'Santa' and looks about as resentful as it is possible to be in the time of goodwill to all men. If she hadn't realised before the genuine want of the sheriff to play the part, Alicia gets it now, especially when Nathaniel looks at him with triumph clear in a challenging blue gaze.
A chuckle to her side accompanies Elisabeth appearing and together they watch the battle of wills playing out to the obliviousness of the youngest Shannon.
"I think Jim might resent this for a while." The doctor says. "He can hold quite a grudge when his pride has been dented."
"Nathaniel didn't even want to do it." Alicia admits.
Elisabeth smiles. "You can't tell."
"No, I know. I was thinking he was protesting too much."
They watch in silence for a little while longer, before Jim and Zoe join them.
Zoe sidles close to Alicia. "Captain Wash." She whispers, and Alicia crouches to allow the girl to share her secret. "I think Santa is Commander Taylor."
Alicia smiles, puts an arm around the young girl's waist. "Has anyone ever told you how clever you are?"
Zoe nods happily, making her parents laugh. "Am I right?"
"You are, Miss Shannon. Will you keep it secret for the younger children?" Alicia asks.
"I will, Captain Wash." She says with genuine seriousness.
Alicia smiles. "Good girl. Thank you for protecting Christmas."
The Shannons melt back into the crowd with promises to meet later at the adults' Christmas gathering and Alicia smiles to herself when she hears Zoe proudly chattering about her achievement.
When she looks back to the sleigh she finds it empty, her husband nowhere to be seen. With the families dispersing, Alicia decides to get a head start on clearing up and heads off to move the wooden structure back to the garage.
(To be continued and preceded... in various forms.... over the coming days....)
Day 20 - Sled
For the older members of the colony, the return to natural decoration after years of commercialisation and bleak, dank metallic cities is something of a godsend. At Christmas, they learn to use their new resources to create scenes akin to those of olden days, with wreaths and boughs and garlands.
Their best approximation of holly comes in the form of a bush that has small, three pointed leaf formations, with purple berries. Unfortunately, the plant also has one razor sharp central protrusion that has to be removed before it can be used as decoration.
Much to their obvious joy, the security forces are often tasked with helping install the more elaborate decorations, and this year is no different. Someone, somewhere, decided to make their year-long project the construction of an oversized sled, a sort of sleigh, for use by the person lucky enough to play Santa. It was decided to decorate this also, and Alicia decides to 'supervise' the task and set her best people to the task (she thinks they're grateful for the escape from drills until they remember the holly and the risk of nipped fingers).
She's watching from the balcony as the little team works, their public position a blessing and a curse - it gets them better known to the population at large, but also gives them a critical audience.
Alicia notices that Mark is having a difficult time concentrating, notes the presence of his fiancée volunteering on one of the stalls as the likely cause. He pays for it pretty quickly though, when his hand slips and he catches his finger on one of the sharp leaves.
He hisses, pulling his hand back and shaking it. "Shi-." He starts, put the word dies on his lips when he remembers the children around him. Instead he swallows down the curse, smiles tightly at his laughing colleagues and examines the cut carefully.
"You okay Reynolds?" Alicia calls, unable to help herself. "Need Maddy to kiss it better?"
He scowls, and in her good mood Alicia allows it, especially when the girl in question looks up at the sound of her name. Seeing the red on her mate's finger she rushes over to cluck fretfully at him, and the embarrassment from that alone is more than enough punishment.
They manage to get on quite well after that, and Alicia moves down to the stairs once her people start sharing looks of satisfaction.
"Looks good, guys." She says, running her hand along the back of the sled.
She's about to dismiss them when she hears Nathaniel's laugh from somewhere behind her and turns to seek him out, having been deprived of his presence for most of the day since he got back from an overnight fishing trip with Shannon. She's not paying attention to her hand though and she manages to catch the one damn piece of holly that the troops missed.
She hisses, pulling her hand away quickly - hoping to hide it, but knowing better than that.
"Everything okay ma'am?" Comes Reynolds' voice, and though he's a damn fine soldier, even he can't keep the hint of smugness from his tone.
"Fine, Mark." Alicia says coolly. "You and Riley move this back to the garage." She commands.
Alicia sees the young woman shoot Mark an unimpressed look before she turns and rushes up the stairs of Command, heading to her husband.
When she enters the office she finds Nathaniel already at his desk. His eyes flick down to the blood on her finger and then back up at her face, concerned, but taking his cue from her relatively calm, if irritated, reaction.
"You okay?"
She sighs, kicks the door closed. "I'm fine. Just cut myself on the holly."
"I see." He says, his tone knowing, as he stands and slowly makes his way over to her. "Like you were mocking Reynolds for?"
She shifts, not realising he'd been around to see that. "Maybe."
He chuckles, reaching for her hand and examining the wound. "Need me to kiss it better?"
It's strange, having her earlier words thrown back at her, because just the thought of it makes heat pool in her belly in a way she hadn't considered when teasing Mark. She nods mutely and Nathaniel lifts her hand to his mouth gently.
She watches, entranced, as the tip of her index finger disappears into his mouth, feels her jaw go a little slack as he applies first a light suction and then, on seeing her reaction, sucks harder. She moans, fighting to keep her eyes open as pleasure and pain flood her body, feels the rumble of his chuckle vibrate through her.
"I missed you." She breathes, unable to stop the admission.
He grins around her finger, releases it carefully. "Got anywhere to be?"
She smiles. "Not right now."
"Good." He says, suddenly the best kind of serious. "Lock the door."
Day 21 - Snowman
Alicia is climbing the stairs of Command when she hears Elisabeth laugh, finds her mouth curving in response to her friend's amusement. Nathaniel's laughter quickly follows and Alicia locates them on the balcony, looking out on the falling snow and playing children.
"What's so funny?" She asks as she approaches them.
"The Commander and I were imagining you and Jim trying to build a snowman together." Elisabeth admits.
"That's... funny?" Alicia asks, puzzled.
"The fact that you wouldn't get anywhere because of arguing might have been why we were laughing." The woman continues.
Alicia raises her eyebrows, looks beyond the smaller woman to find her husband's innocent face. "Oh really?"
"Oh really what?" The three turn to find Jim approaching from behind Alicia, and the captain smiles wickedly at him, making him pause. "What have I walked in on this time?"
"Your wife and my husband don't think we could build a snowman together."
"Oh really??" Jim says now, standing beside Alicia to present a united front. "Is that so?"
"Sounds like a challenge to me, Shannon."
Elisabeth grins and looks to Nathaniel. "What do you say, sir?"
He nods. "Challenge accepted."
#
Word gets out about the competition far quicker than any of them could have anticipated. But Nathaniel finds it amusing at least, and Alicia isn't one to back out of a challenge, so they decide to wait for a day with good snowfall before proceeding in a far more public setting than initially planned.
That day eventually comes, and it finds Alicia and Jim standing on the balcony of Command dressed in their heavy winter clothes.
"This got a lot bigger than I was expecting." Alicia says quietly, surveying the crowd gathering underneath them.
"You know, that's what Liz said to me when we first-." Jim stops in the face of Alicia's glare. "You don't even know what I was going to say." He grins, holding his hands up.
"Oh I know well enough."
The sound of laughter drew the pair's attention to the door of the office.
"Fighting already?" Nathaniel asks smugly, Elisabeth at his side.
If anything is going to make Alicia want to win beyond the sheer beauty of success, her husband's conviction that he and Elisabeth have already won is certainly the right kind of impetus.
With a final challenging look shared between the two pairs, they walk down to take up their positions in the specially-cleared marketplace. Malcolm is their referee, and he explains the rules to the assembled crowd while the four of them start to plan. When he blows his whistle they spur into action, to the noisy cheers of the colonists.
Their methods for forming the body and the head (to a certain size previously agreed on) take on very different forms, with Alicia and Jim working independently as Nathaniel and Elisabeth team up. The lead switches multiple times but it's a far closer contest than the more sensible duo had expected.
They finish with the buttons, the eyes and the four mouth stones at exactly the same moment and all four look around desperately for the single carrot that should have been between their piles of accessories, the thing that will finish the contest.
It's nowhere to be seen.
Alicia glances around for a hint of orange in the snow, frowns when she can't see it. Then, Jim tugs on her sleeve and points over to where Maddy has Bethany balanced on her hip, both watching with wide grins.
Her daughter is holding the carrot.
"Bethie, honey, come over here?" She asks, crouching as Maddy sets the toddler on her feet.
Bethany starts over without hesitation, but stops when she sees her father crouching down too.
"Hey pumpkin. Bring daddy the carrot?"
Elisabeth and Jim share a look of amusement, silly war forgotten, as they enjoy the battle between husband and wife over their daughter's affection. For a moment it looks like Nathaniel will win, Bethany edging closer to him with every step, but then the young girl looks over to her mother and with a wide grin and a laugh toddles over to Alicia through the snow.
"That's my girl." The captain grins, taking the carrot and placing it in the centre of the snowman's face. "Helping mommy win."
A great cheer goes up at the victory (and a little money surreptitiously changes hands) as the crowd mostly fades away, out of the chill of the afternoon.
"Good girl, Beth." Jim says, catching her chin briefly. "Knows a winning combination when she sees it."
The little girl giggles happily, letting out a squeal when her father pounces from behind, pulling her into his embrace. He buries his head under her chin and blows noisy raspberries on her chest until she is nearly insensible with laughter.
"You're lucky you're cute." He says to her, sounding far less put-out than Alicia was expecting.
"Celebratory mulled wine?" Jim offers, pointing towards their unit.
Alicia grins. "Now that's a plan."
Day 22 - Jingle Bells (NC-17)
Alicia stands in the garage, looking at the decorated sleigh with a slightly melancholy eye. The colony celebrations are over for another year, with just the private merriment of Christmas day to come. It's the one time of the year, especially now, that everyone can be guaranteed to come together and just enjoy themselves, with no obligations. She enjoys that, however much her stoic side wishes to claim otherwise.
There are footsteps behind her and she looks over her shoulder to see Nathaniel approaching, back in the usual dark colours of his uniform.
"You changed." She says, voice full of faux sadness.
He laughs, settles himself behind her and wraps his arms around her waist. "Didn't know you had a thing for Santa, Wash."
"It's the beard." She murmurs, turning her head to steal a quick kiss.
He breaks away from her before she can deepen it, lips curling in a smirk. "Think I remember Santa putting you on the naughty list."
Alicia groans when his hands start to move, one moving down her stomach to cup her through her pants, the other sliding up to curl over the rise of one breast. "Well sir..." She breathes, arching into his touch. "I'll just have to make up for that."
He lets her turn in his arms because it gives him a chance to start removing her clothing, hands busy at her belt as she starts to run kisses over his neck and jaw. His hand slips inside the confines of her clothing and she bucks into his touch, nipping at his skin.
She looks over his shoulder to the slightly open door and grins, walking backwards towards the sled. "Just the pants." She whispers and he nods, knowing what her warning means.
His finger circling her clit makes it increasingly difficult for Alicia to remain coherent, so she steps away and holds him in place with firm hands against his shoulders. She shoots him a challenging grin and he pouts, stopping his fight.
She hums happily when he becomes more placid, returning his favour in loosening the belt of his fatigues and lowering the zipper. She resists the urge to let her hand slip inside and feel his heated skin, instead turning their positions so that his back is to the rear of the sled.
Alicia tugs the material of his pants down his legs, eases his underwear over the bulge of his erection and presses a quick kiss to its tip before standing. She then pushes him down into the sleigh's bench seat, the force of the movement making the bells at each end jingle merrily.
"Gonna have to take it slow sir." She purrs, easing off her boots and pushing her fatigues to the ground. She smiles as she settles down over his lap. "Don't want to let everyone know we're here."
She lowers down over him and the pleasure of having him inside her makes her head fall back, her mouth open in a silent gasp. One of his hands comes around her to press against her back and take some of her weight, the other braced against the sled. Alicia clutches at his shoulder while her free hand rests firm on his thigh, allowing her freedom to rock against him slowly, easily, working them into a rhythm that guarantees a slow burn and a release worthy of being stifled in each other's skin or by each other's mouths.
When she clenches around him it's instinct for him to thrust up into her heat, but the sharp movement makes the bells tinkle enough that Alicia stills completely.
"Shhh." She whispers, lowering back down with even less haste than previously.
"You're killing me here, woman."
Wash just hums happily, rolling her hips a little faster once she works out a rhythm that won't rattle the bells.
"You and your fetish for public places." He grumbles fondly.
She groans at the reminder of previous, secret and explosive times, bucks into him when he smirks and lowers his head to nip at her breasts, sucking at the peaks of her nipples as they strain against the material covering her chest.
She just feels the first pulse of her release when Nathaniel surprises her, thrusting up once more and grabbing hold of her hips before flipping them so that she lies lengthways along the bench seat. He braces himself on the back of the sled and on the wood above her head and starts to thrust into her with a painfully slow, teasing pace.
"Nathaniel..." She breathes, bringing her hands up to knead her own breasts as she fights to regain the release that he denied.
"Naughty list, Wash, we've been over this."
She arches as he hits the sweet spot inside of her, manages not to shake with pleasure even as her legs tighten around his hips. "Son of a-."
"Sssh." He says mockingly, starting to lose his even rhythm.
She cries out softly as the ache returns to her belly, coiling into something more defined with each roll of Nathaniel's hips. It only takes a couple more thrusts before she breaks, biting down on the heel of her hand so that only a whine escapes. Nathaniel follows quickly, gritting his teeth as release rushes through his body and his grip falters. Alicia brings her palms up to brace against his stomach to make sure they don't fall to the floor with a thump and a tinkle of bells.
He grins down at her with a thoroughly sated expression and she smiles in return as she sits up and kisses him sweetly.
"Let's get out of here before we're missed." She mumbles against his lips.
"Always with the romance." He teases. "No afterglow basking with you."
"Basking later." She says, standing up and pulling on her pants. "Not on a percussion instrument."
Day 23 - Carols
Jim is supposed to be watching the childrens' carol performance, the first organised by his daughter in her position as teacher at the school. It should be a moment of extreme pride for him. He knows this. But instead he finds it far more entertaining to watch the colony's lieutenant. She's standing at the back of the the crowd, leaning against one of the uprights of Command. Holding a mug of what he knows to be alcoholic cider, she's periodically looking between the mothers and the stage. She frowns to herself and sips at her drink thoughtfully.
He moves over to her and nudges her shoulder gently. "What's up?" He asks quietly, mindful of their closeness to women who he knows to have particularly good glares.
She shrugs with what he thinks is supposed to be an air of nonchalance but which misses the mark somewhat. "I should be in floods of tears shouldn't I?"
Jim scoffs. "Why?"
She gestures to the assembled audience with her mug. "Because all the other mothers are."
"Yeah, and you're such a typical mother, Wash."
She grins wryly at his comment. "I'm actually more impressed than anything. My daughter is acting her ass off pretending to be this innocent little creature..." Jim snorts and she shoots him a smile. "You know it's true. Anyway. I'm not supposed to be impressed by her acting, I'm supposed to find this whole... thing... charming aren't I?"
"You could do." He offers.
"But I don't." She says. "I'm bored."
He sighs, lowers his voice even further. "Look. Don't tell Liz but... I understand completely." He admits. "I was the same with my three. Hated it. Used to pretend I had cases so I wouldn't have to go."
She chuckles. "I should have thought of that."
"There's always next year."
She groans, sipping her drink again. "Next year. "
"And every year afterwards." He reminds her.
Wash shakes her head. "You think Beth will have that kind of patience?"
"Are you kidding? Bethany Taylor? Patience is her middle name." He grins when that makes her laugh, looks around for the young girl's proud father. "Where's Taylor?"
"OTG." She replies. "Had to make a supply run to Outpost One at the last moment."
Jim raises a disbelieving eyebrow. "Couldn't some of the kids have done that?"
Wash is silent for an alarmingly long time, her face showing confusion, then realisation and then, terrifying anger. "That bastard."
Jim feels a strange need to stick up for the man, holds a hand up to still her rage. "Hey, I'm sure it was just a mistake. He... forgot?"
"Right. He forgot." Alicia says. "Forgot about his little girl's first carol performance."
Jim winces. "Maybe?"
"I'm going to kill him." She says, and in that moment Jim believes her.
"I'm sure Bethany won't mind."
"It's not Bethany he has to worry about." Alicia says, pressing her empty cup into his hand and turning to head up the steps of Command. "He left me to deal with this alone knowing how much I was going to hate it."
Jim watches her go, blows out a breath of relief that she's not mad at him for once. "You're on your own there sir." He mutters, settling back against Wash's former position to watch the rest of the show.
Day 24 - Chestnuts
Alicia looks around her living room and once again marvels to herself at the domesticity of the sight that's presented to her.
In front of a roaring fire, Elisabeth sits on the floor with Bethany in her lap, reading The Night Before Christmas to the little girl displaying rapt attention. The doctor adores Alicia's daughter, is using her (the soldier suspects) as a proxy grandchild until Mark and Maddy get their act together.
There's a bang at the front door and Alicia turns to find her husband and Jim come barrelling through, noses red and smiles wide as they hold armfuls of logs for the fire. Jim kicks the door shut and Nathaniel drops a kiss on her cheek when he passes - the sheriff then does the same and grins when Alicia allows it.
They dump the logs in the basket by the burner and Alicia moves to join them, perching on the edge of the sofa to watch. Nathaniel pulls a pan off of the shelf above the log burner and grins when he spies its contents.
He passes a chestnut to Jim and one to Elisabeth when she asks, pouting a little when Alicia shakes her head in a polite refusal. (She's never liked them, can't understand why he does, but won't stop him from enjoying the tradition.) He pulls the skin open and eats the flesh of the nut happily, noticing Bethany's eyes on him as he does so.
He offers her one and she hesitates, looking curiously between the assembled adults - she hadn't missed her mother's refusal, the little girl too quick for that. Nathaniel carefully pulls a little of the next chestnut out of its skin and balances it on his finger, holding it out to his daughter. Slowly, she leans forward and snags it with her teeth, chewing thoughtfully for several moments.
Then she rigorously shakes her head, sticking her tongue in disgust.
Alicia laughs at Nathaniel's betrayed look, scoops her daughter up and takes her unwilling form through to get ready for bed, to leave the chestnut aficionados to enjoy their treat.
When Bethany is settled under the covers, Alicia perches on the side of the bed, stroking her curls gently. "Did you really not like the chestnut?"
Bethany is a clever little thing, but she can't quite hide when she's lying yet. "It was okay..." She says reluctantly.
"You're allowed to like them you know." Alicia smiles. "Even if I don't. I won't feel left out."
Bethany regards her with a seriousness that is quite adorable. "Maybe I can try another one tomorrow?"
Alicia nods, kissing her forehead and then tweaking her nose. "I'm sure your Daddy won't mind saving one for you."
When she returns to the living area, Alicia collapses down next to her husband with a chuckle. "You'll have to do more of those tomorrow. Bethany was lying so I wouldn't have to feel left out."
"So considerate." Elisabeth smiles. "She's a good girl."
"Yeah..." Jim agrees. "Where the hell did she get that from?"
The two cushions impact either side of his head with perfect synchronisation.
Day 25 - Christmas Movies
Long ago, back when their life was a relatively simple affair (thought she freely admits it did not seem so at the time), Alicia spent a few Christmasses in the Taylor household. One of her abiding memories is snuggling down under the blankets on Christmas Eve night, and watching something cheesy and festive until the three of them fell asleep, or got restless for more... pleasurable experiences.
(The memory of her Commander's head between her legs while an old time star sang of falling snow and presents is one she thinks she will never shake.)
They've been in the colony long enough now without revisiting those old traditions that Alicia thinks now is the time, this year is when they finally will, and she sets about planning accordingly.
Shannon catches her on her way to the Eye on Christmas Eve with an armful of blankets and nearly says something, before her warning glare sees him on his way. She lets herself into the underground area and starts her first setting up, placing pillows around the edge of the chair and blankets over the seat itself, ready for them to curl up in.
Later, when Nathaniel is on the other side of the colony and won't notice her rifling through their cupboards, she packs up a picnic basket and heads to Boylan's to purchase a bottle of mulled cider to keep safe in a bottle heater.
Finally satisfied with her work, Alicia heads out of the Eye and up to Command to fetch her husband, finding him all too willing to leave with her, even when he just thinks they're going home. His face is suspicious when she leads him in the opposite direction, downright confused when they head towards the Eye, but once he steps inside the room and finds her work, he's all smiles and gratitude and everything Alicia was hoping for.
She directs him to make himself comfortable in the seat and then settles between his legs, back firmly to his chest. His arms come around her and she takes a moment to just savour his touch and his instant relaxation, his trust in her motives even if he has no idea what she's actually planned.
Once he lets her go a little she pours them both a mug of the hot drink and fetches some snacks to balance on her lap, before commanding the computer to bring up all of the possible films they could watch together.
"You did all this?" He asks, his voice warm and low in her ear.
"I missed it." She says quietly, resting her temple against his. "I wanted to make this a tradition again, like we did with Ayani."
"It's a good plan, Wash." He says, holding her tight. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." She smiles. "Now, make your choice. And make it a good one. I'm so comfortable here I might fall asleep if it's not interesting enough."
"That doesn't sound half bad either." He murmurs, kissing her cheek.
None the less he makes his selection and they settle back to watch as the opening credits show large on the screen in front of them.
Snuggling into the warmth of him, Alicia sighs contentedly. "I love you, Nathaniel."
"Love you too." He replies, and it is the last words both speak for quite some time.
(MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE. Have brilliant days, whether you celebrate or not.)
Days:
- Mistletoe
- Hot Chocolate
- Snow
- Candy Canes
- Christmas Tree
- Angel
- Pie
- Tinsel
- Ice skating
- Frost
- Eggnog
- Cider
- Peppermint
- Gingerbread
- Presents
- Fireplace
- Stockings/socks
- Cookies (milk)
- Santa
- Sled
- Snowman
- Jingle Bells/Sleigh Bells
- Carols
- Chestnuts
- Christmas Music/Movies